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melissa m. button

             

“Born in 1971, I am a native of Arizona. I received my B.S. in architecture at Arizona State University in 1994. I returned to ASU in 1998 to pursue an MFA in painting, where I completed my studies in the Spring of 2001. currently I am teaching painting and drawing classes as a lecturer in the Herberger Institute of Design at ASU.” 

Artist Statement

It was through my studies in architecture that i began to explore the delicate balance between the natural world and the way in which life imposes its structure upon it. in many ways my work still encompasses these same ideas. I seek to capture a moment where order/structure and chaos/nature merge with one another revealing an undefined beauty and balance that supersedes the individual and is a part of all things.

The evolution of my work in recent years has been greatly influenced by my study and travels in china, having spent many years immersing myself in traditions of their culture, the people, the vast landscape. the delicate structures of paper-cuttings, the intricate complexity of wood-carvings, and the beautiful fluidity of their calligraphy have all become integral elements in my work.